by Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY Sports

by Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY Sports

David Freese's Thanksgiving holiday took a destructive turn when he swerved to avoid a deer on a Missouri road and crashed his SUV into a tree.

The St. Louis Cardinals third baseman refused medical attention at the scene of the crash, police told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and alcohol was not ruled a factor in the 2:30 p.m. crash.

Freese, the MVP of the 2011 World Series, has seen his career sidetracked by driving and alcohol-related incidents. He injured a foot in a 2009 crash on an ice-slicked road. In December 2009, he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

And according to the Post-Dispatch, Freese avoided conviction on a 2002 DWI charge by accepting a plea deal.